Public food procurement as a lever to foster the just and green transition – Dordogne case study
Authors:
Maurizio Mariani (RISTECO), Chiara Falvo (RISTECO), Claire Marie Mariani (IUC)
Abstract:
Public procurement has increasingly emerged as a strategic policy lever within the European Commission’s Green Deal and Clean Industrial Deal to drive sustainability, competitiveness and social equity. Likewise, the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy recognizes public food procurement as a tool for sustainable and fair food systems. Yet, a research gap remains in understanding how these evolving frameworks can reconcile financial and regulatory pressures with the need for robust public investment and inclusive, community-driven approaches. This study addresses that gap by examining how public food procurement can integrate green and just transition principles while strengthening local economies. It focuses on the Dordogne school canteen model in France, which since 2018 has delivered 100% organic, local and homemade meals. The guiding research question asks: How can sustainable public food procurement simultaneously advance environmental goals, economic competitiveness and social equity? Our headline finding is that inclusive, sustainability-driven food procurement fosters healthier diets, reduces carbon footprints and boosts local farmer income without increasing costs. This study contributes a scalable benchmark for aligning EU procurement policy with systemic food system transformation.
